well posted this a while ago, but got deleted when MFK moved to a new server, so heres the repost. This is an older article (this was written when L200 and L128 were described as Chaetostoma and about to be changed to large peckoltia so...) and so i've tried to filter out the old, and now outdated info, but oppologies as i have more than likely missed a bit. anyway enjoy...
As plec genera go, Chaetostoma (pronounced kay-toe-stow-mah) is a medium-sized one containing 42 species. Among these are some that are very hard to identify and, rather perversely, most of the common species are among them - many may well be species not yet formally described by ichthyologists.
Also, many of the described species come from areas with either serious habitat threat, little aquarium fish trade or continually shifting degrees of guerrilla control.
It's not surprising then that a number of species have fallen in and out of availability over the years.
Typically, this group of fish are offered for sale as bulldog plecs, rubbernose plecs, blonde plecs and rarely (yet most accurately) as hillstream or brook plecs. Chaetostoma all follow the basic design of a very flattened, wide-headed stone-sucking fish evolved to a niche existence in the hurly-burly world of Andean foothills, streams and brooks.
A different world
I have been fortunate enough to encounter these species in their native habitat, and so can recount that experience in an attempt to reproduce that habitat.
To do that, we have to transport ourselves to northern Venezuela, to the east of the Andes where the proud mountain range slopes down into the plains or Llanos.
We approach a stream called the Rio Zuata; in the heat, the cool water isn't more than a few inches deep except in the odd pool or hollow by the embankment.
Vegetation lines the banks, often with a green wall providing cover from the banks across most of the river. As it is maybe 5-7m wide, most of the water surface is only lit by whatever dappled light makes it through the vegetation. Birds and insects swoop in and out of view.
The habitat itself is, however, devoid of any vegetation short of moss on the rocks. The rocks are everywhere, causing riffles and undulations in the water; it's neither deep nor vociferous enough to prevent fairly careful walking upstream. I say careful as all the submerged rocks are rounded and covered in a layer of very slippery green or brown algae that makes progress somewhat tricky.
Think like a fish
How to catch a Chaetostoma? Well, you have to think like the fish. These are rock-hugging fish that defend their home under their chosen rock with great determination.
Standing ankle-deep in a river, I was excited to be trying it out for real.
We located stones about the same mass as one or two house bricks, but flatter and rounded and, crucially, with some space underneath - not buried in the sandy pebble-strewn substrate.
Shane stood facing upriver and placed a push seine net (a 60 x 45cm/2' x 18"? metal frame with a net sewn on) gently at the base of the rock. Being the new boy, I got the job of gingerly lifting the rock - in such places, one quickly learns to do most things gingerly!
Sure enough, a 10cm/4" bulldog plec was underneath and in no mood to give it up.
Shane deftly swooped the net under the rock just as the plec changed its mind and decided to make a run for it. But it dropped off the rock into the net and we had our first catch of the day. More and more plecs were discovered throughout the day, with one even under a rusty numberplate!
Locally, these fish serve two purposes. The first is pretty easy to guess – you eat 'em! Being a rather prickly customer, they're boiled to add flavour and meat to soup; trust me, not one to eat with big spoons or in a hurry. The second use is more surprising.
Examine the water tank of a local's house in these places and you’ll find the plec. They're there to keep the algae down, stop it clogging the waterworks and keep the tank free of insects.
In the aquarium
What does this fish want from your aquarium? Firstly, they don't like it hot. Temperatures over 25.5C/78F can cause trouble if the water is not well oxygenated; much warmer than that and your fish will die.
Realistically, current and dissolved oxygen content drop to something of secondary importance if the temperature is reasonably cool; these are hardy fish. Also, the water in these piedmont streams is higher in dissolved minerals and has yet to flow through much vegetation, so is usually clear and with a neutral pH.
Ideal conditions don't require a particularly large tank, say 60-90cm/ 2-3' long with a powerhead at one end and venturi device mixing in plenty of air.
If you want to get really accurate, use rounded pebbles for substrate and a big powerhead or two small ones. The only thing you have to be careful of is using so much power that the heat from the pumps warms the water too much.
However, few readers will be looking for an aquarium that resembles the inside of a washing machine - minus the soap and laundry; it's not a quiet or calming thing. Just as well then that most species are adaptable and will do well in community aquaria, given adherence to a few pointers.
Tankmates are a key choice. Avoid similar-sized plecs (few will compete equally for food and territory) and, if you're going to keep a group of bulldogs, make sure each has its own rounded stone it can call home.
Take care the inevitable excavations don't cause a rock fall. Given their own rock and discounting the 10cm+/4"? species, they will not argue among themselves.
Feeding is also key. I know of one hobbyist who grows algae on rocks submerged in plastic bottles in his greenhouse for a continual supply of fresh food. However, vegetable tablets are keenly sought, as are flake and some frozen foods.
One breeder I know swears by goldfish flake food. If your filtration allows, frozen spinach cubes are a real winner. In nature, plecs gain extra nutrition from insect larvae and zooplankton, so you shouldn't be afraid of offering similar amounts of "meaty" foods.
As with all plecs, check that the fish have at least flat or concave bellies and do not have sunken eyes before purchase. A healthy plec may be shy in the shop, but those features reveal a fish that has not been acclimatised properly after import and/or may be diseased.
And then there were many
Breeding has been documented in the home aquarium. As these fish are neither overly expensive nor commonly drop-dead gorgeous, formal breeding attempts are mostly undertaken by specialists.
A sticky egg clutch resembling a small bunch of grapes is deposited under the male's rock and, once fertilized, the male fans these to keep the water around them fresh. They hatch and, in a community tank you are faced with a real challenge to feed the tiny fry.
As plecs go, the fry have small yolk sacs indicating that, in nature, they are likely to disperse promptly to feed on algae and the like. Expert breeders remove eggs to in-tank hatcheries usually made of mesh similar to that of aquarium nets, and add an airstone to mimic the father's diligent wafting.
Reproduction is an interesting topic as the males of many species develop larger heads, putting me in mind of the toes of green welly boots. They also grow their pelvic fins.
Although this has not been specifically recorded, it would appear these adaptations are, respectively, to enhance the male's formidable appearance while guarding his progeny, while the lengthened fins are adapted to either shield or perhaps even hold the egg clutch in place while the river rages past.
What makes these plecs quite exciting is that other Chaetostoma are commonly encountered for sale - you might find yourself with an L-number-to-be! In a recent visit to a larger fish store, I counted four distinct species in one Colombian batch of fresh imports.
There are certainly more L-numbers and discoveries to be made by those who look closely at these fish. Couple that with their undemanding nature, personality and low-price (for exotic plecs at least) and you can see why I think these fish are among the most overlooked of the family.
Bit of a confusion
By far the most commonly encountered species is that exported from the Magdalena river system in Colombia, Chaetostoma thomsoni. Sometimes this is labelled C. wuchereri; but there is no such species and it appears to be a confusion with Hypostomus wuchereri.
The Hypostomus is from Bahia, Brazil - well outside of the range of Chaetostoma. This appears to be a bad, long perpetuated, mistake.
Whether it is C. thomsoni or not, it's an attractive yellow to olive with fine black markings along the edges of the body plates. There are various dark spots on the head and a characteristic small black spot at the inside base of the dorsal fin.
These fish are typically available for under a fiver, so try a trio for starters. That said, the other varieties are equally hardy, so don't be too worried about pushing the boat out a bit more if a particular import takes your fancy.
Factfiles
Name of fish: L187
Distribution: Venezuela - Carabobo, Cojedes or Gua¡rico.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Small cream-coloured flecks on a light to medium green-grey background. Has been bred in captivity.
Notes: Possibly Chaetostoma pearsi.
Name of fish: L188
Distribution: Venezuela - Carabobo, Cojedes or Gua¡rico.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"?.
Description: A distinctive vertical band around the base of the caudal fin.
Notes: Possibly C. nudirostre.
Name of fish: L276
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o San Alejandro.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"?.
Description: A beautiful fish when fully coloured; the colouration is regular Chaetostoma yellow-brown with rows of black spots. Individuals initially show rusty red tips to the top of the dorsal fin that expand to include the dorsal fin, back half of the body and the whole tail fin. Fully coloured, they look as if someone has taken a paintbrush diagonally down from top to tail.
Notes: Possibly C. lineopuncatum.
Name of fish: L277
Distribution: Colombia - Ri*o Magdalena.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5".
Description: A noticeable yellow-green metallic sheen on the head. It has been imported for decades from Colombia in mixed shipments.
Name of fish: L334
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Yurayacu, Ri*o Huallaga.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Similar to the previous two with white spots on its head but a less extreme body shape, perhaps due to its more lowland existence. Caudal fin has lighter points on the tips of both lobes.
Name of fish: L335
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Yurayacu, Ri*o Huallaga.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5".
Description: This sports a lighter background with widely spaced larger black spots on the body and fins.
Name of fish: L336
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Utcubamb, Rio Maraoan.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Collected in a mountainous region at an altitude of 2075m in water as cool as 13C/55F! Unlikely to find this at your local shop.
Notes: Possibly Chaetostoma mollinasum.
Name of fish: L348
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Huallaga at San Jacinto (Tingo Maria).
Size: At least 25cm/10".
Description: This giant is occasionally imported. Smaller spots on the head and larger, denser spots on the body, combined with a red edge to the caudal fin in adults, distinguish this L-number from others.
Name of fish: LDA41
Distribution: Brazil - Mato Grosso.
Size: Up to 20cm/8".
Description: Originally from Brazil, identical fish are more frequently imported from Colombia! The range indicates they are different species, but this is not always so. The fish are a uniform dull olive colour, their large size making them of more interest.
As plec genera go, Chaetostoma (pronounced kay-toe-stow-mah) is a medium-sized one containing 42 species. Among these are some that are very hard to identify and, rather perversely, most of the common species are among them - many may well be species not yet formally described by ichthyologists.
Also, many of the described species come from areas with either serious habitat threat, little aquarium fish trade or continually shifting degrees of guerrilla control.
It's not surprising then that a number of species have fallen in and out of availability over the years.
Typically, this group of fish are offered for sale as bulldog plecs, rubbernose plecs, blonde plecs and rarely (yet most accurately) as hillstream or brook plecs. Chaetostoma all follow the basic design of a very flattened, wide-headed stone-sucking fish evolved to a niche existence in the hurly-burly world of Andean foothills, streams and brooks.
A different world
I have been fortunate enough to encounter these species in their native habitat, and so can recount that experience in an attempt to reproduce that habitat.
To do that, we have to transport ourselves to northern Venezuela, to the east of the Andes where the proud mountain range slopes down into the plains or Llanos.
We approach a stream called the Rio Zuata; in the heat, the cool water isn't more than a few inches deep except in the odd pool or hollow by the embankment.
Vegetation lines the banks, often with a green wall providing cover from the banks across most of the river. As it is maybe 5-7m wide, most of the water surface is only lit by whatever dappled light makes it through the vegetation. Birds and insects swoop in and out of view.
The habitat itself is, however, devoid of any vegetation short of moss on the rocks. The rocks are everywhere, causing riffles and undulations in the water; it's neither deep nor vociferous enough to prevent fairly careful walking upstream. I say careful as all the submerged rocks are rounded and covered in a layer of very slippery green or brown algae that makes progress somewhat tricky.
Think like a fish
How to catch a Chaetostoma? Well, you have to think like the fish. These are rock-hugging fish that defend their home under their chosen rock with great determination.
Standing ankle-deep in a river, I was excited to be trying it out for real.
We located stones about the same mass as one or two house bricks, but flatter and rounded and, crucially, with some space underneath - not buried in the sandy pebble-strewn substrate.
Shane stood facing upriver and placed a push seine net (a 60 x 45cm/2' x 18"? metal frame with a net sewn on) gently at the base of the rock. Being the new boy, I got the job of gingerly lifting the rock - in such places, one quickly learns to do most things gingerly!
Sure enough, a 10cm/4" bulldog plec was underneath and in no mood to give it up.
Shane deftly swooped the net under the rock just as the plec changed its mind and decided to make a run for it. But it dropped off the rock into the net and we had our first catch of the day. More and more plecs were discovered throughout the day, with one even under a rusty numberplate!
Locally, these fish serve two purposes. The first is pretty easy to guess – you eat 'em! Being a rather prickly customer, they're boiled to add flavour and meat to soup; trust me, not one to eat with big spoons or in a hurry. The second use is more surprising.
Examine the water tank of a local's house in these places and you’ll find the plec. They're there to keep the algae down, stop it clogging the waterworks and keep the tank free of insects.
In the aquarium
What does this fish want from your aquarium? Firstly, they don't like it hot. Temperatures over 25.5C/78F can cause trouble if the water is not well oxygenated; much warmer than that and your fish will die.
Realistically, current and dissolved oxygen content drop to something of secondary importance if the temperature is reasonably cool; these are hardy fish. Also, the water in these piedmont streams is higher in dissolved minerals and has yet to flow through much vegetation, so is usually clear and with a neutral pH.
Ideal conditions don't require a particularly large tank, say 60-90cm/ 2-3' long with a powerhead at one end and venturi device mixing in plenty of air.
If you want to get really accurate, use rounded pebbles for substrate and a big powerhead or two small ones. The only thing you have to be careful of is using so much power that the heat from the pumps warms the water too much.
However, few readers will be looking for an aquarium that resembles the inside of a washing machine - minus the soap and laundry; it's not a quiet or calming thing. Just as well then that most species are adaptable and will do well in community aquaria, given adherence to a few pointers.
Tankmates are a key choice. Avoid similar-sized plecs (few will compete equally for food and territory) and, if you're going to keep a group of bulldogs, make sure each has its own rounded stone it can call home.
Take care the inevitable excavations don't cause a rock fall. Given their own rock and discounting the 10cm+/4"? species, they will not argue among themselves.
Feeding is also key. I know of one hobbyist who grows algae on rocks submerged in plastic bottles in his greenhouse for a continual supply of fresh food. However, vegetable tablets are keenly sought, as are flake and some frozen foods.
One breeder I know swears by goldfish flake food. If your filtration allows, frozen spinach cubes are a real winner. In nature, plecs gain extra nutrition from insect larvae and zooplankton, so you shouldn't be afraid of offering similar amounts of "meaty" foods.
As with all plecs, check that the fish have at least flat or concave bellies and do not have sunken eyes before purchase. A healthy plec may be shy in the shop, but those features reveal a fish that has not been acclimatised properly after import and/or may be diseased.
And then there were many
Breeding has been documented in the home aquarium. As these fish are neither overly expensive nor commonly drop-dead gorgeous, formal breeding attempts are mostly undertaken by specialists.
A sticky egg clutch resembling a small bunch of grapes is deposited under the male's rock and, once fertilized, the male fans these to keep the water around them fresh. They hatch and, in a community tank you are faced with a real challenge to feed the tiny fry.
As plecs go, the fry have small yolk sacs indicating that, in nature, they are likely to disperse promptly to feed on algae and the like. Expert breeders remove eggs to in-tank hatcheries usually made of mesh similar to that of aquarium nets, and add an airstone to mimic the father's diligent wafting.
Reproduction is an interesting topic as the males of many species develop larger heads, putting me in mind of the toes of green welly boots. They also grow their pelvic fins.
Although this has not been specifically recorded, it would appear these adaptations are, respectively, to enhance the male's formidable appearance while guarding his progeny, while the lengthened fins are adapted to either shield or perhaps even hold the egg clutch in place while the river rages past.
What makes these plecs quite exciting is that other Chaetostoma are commonly encountered for sale - you might find yourself with an L-number-to-be! In a recent visit to a larger fish store, I counted four distinct species in one Colombian batch of fresh imports.
There are certainly more L-numbers and discoveries to be made by those who look closely at these fish. Couple that with their undemanding nature, personality and low-price (for exotic plecs at least) and you can see why I think these fish are among the most overlooked of the family.
Bit of a confusion
By far the most commonly encountered species is that exported from the Magdalena river system in Colombia, Chaetostoma thomsoni. Sometimes this is labelled C. wuchereri; but there is no such species and it appears to be a confusion with Hypostomus wuchereri.
The Hypostomus is from Bahia, Brazil - well outside of the range of Chaetostoma. This appears to be a bad, long perpetuated, mistake.
Whether it is C. thomsoni or not, it's an attractive yellow to olive with fine black markings along the edges of the body plates. There are various dark spots on the head and a characteristic small black spot at the inside base of the dorsal fin.
These fish are typically available for under a fiver, so try a trio for starters. That said, the other varieties are equally hardy, so don't be too worried about pushing the boat out a bit more if a particular import takes your fancy.
Factfiles
Name of fish: L187
Distribution: Venezuela - Carabobo, Cojedes or Gua¡rico.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Small cream-coloured flecks on a light to medium green-grey background. Has been bred in captivity.
Notes: Possibly Chaetostoma pearsi.
Name of fish: L188
Distribution: Venezuela - Carabobo, Cojedes or Gua¡rico.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"?.
Description: A distinctive vertical band around the base of the caudal fin.
Notes: Possibly C. nudirostre.
Name of fish: L276
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o San Alejandro.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"?.
Description: A beautiful fish when fully coloured; the colouration is regular Chaetostoma yellow-brown with rows of black spots. Individuals initially show rusty red tips to the top of the dorsal fin that expand to include the dorsal fin, back half of the body and the whole tail fin. Fully coloured, they look as if someone has taken a paintbrush diagonally down from top to tail.
Notes: Possibly C. lineopuncatum.
Name of fish: L277
Distribution: Colombia - Ri*o Magdalena.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5".
Description: A noticeable yellow-green metallic sheen on the head. It has been imported for decades from Colombia in mixed shipments.
Name of fish: L334
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Yurayacu, Ri*o Huallaga.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Similar to the previous two with white spots on its head but a less extreme body shape, perhaps due to its more lowland existence. Caudal fin has lighter points on the tips of both lobes.
Name of fish: L335
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Yurayacu, Ri*o Huallaga.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5".
Description: This sports a lighter background with widely spaced larger black spots on the body and fins.
Name of fish: L336
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Utcubamb, Rio Maraoan.
Size: Up to 12cm/4.5"
Description: Collected in a mountainous region at an altitude of 2075m in water as cool as 13C/55F! Unlikely to find this at your local shop.
Notes: Possibly Chaetostoma mollinasum.
Name of fish: L348
Distribution: Peru - Ri*o Huallaga at San Jacinto (Tingo Maria).
Size: At least 25cm/10".
Description: This giant is occasionally imported. Smaller spots on the head and larger, denser spots on the body, combined with a red edge to the caudal fin in adults, distinguish this L-number from others.
Name of fish: LDA41
Distribution: Brazil - Mato Grosso.
Size: Up to 20cm/8".
Description: Originally from Brazil, identical fish are more frequently imported from Colombia! The range indicates they are different species, but this is not always so. The fish are a uniform dull olive colour, their large size making them of more interest.
